Enlightening the Marginalised: John Thelwall and the Value of Laughter

doi:10.14324/111.1755-4527.080

Abstract

Among the most influential radical orators of his day (though neglected by critics until recent years), John Thelwall’s lectures reveal a carefully focused wit, one which spoke to artisan and labouring class concerns in the taverns and lecture halls of London. This essay examines Thelwall’s use of humour as a means by which the politically marginalised might be educated and informed, considering the role of his perception of the value of laughter in the construction of his political arguments. The universality of laughter, common to all sections of society rich or poor, made it the perfect tool with which to undermine inequitable political narratives and ideas, allowing those on the peripheries of political debate to make themselves heard. By first examining the roots of Thelwall’s approach to writing humorous material (particularly in his early experiences in the London theatre houses), the essay goes on to investigate the subtle and innovative techniques he used to ridicule the establishment, focusing particularly on the series of political lectures he delivered between 1794 and 1795. Thelwall’s humour, his attempts to provoke laughter from his listeners, provide an invaluable insight into the way in which he sought not only to address the concerns of his audience, but to guide their response to political realities.

Highlights

In the first of his Political Lectures the radical orator John Thelwall, who had become a household name in the 1790s for his outspoken condemnations of Pitt’s Tory government, reveals an underlying consciousness of the new political significance of laughter
Writing in early 1794 of the 1792 ‘Royal Proclamation Against Seditious Writings’, Thelwall describes how our looks [were] in reality called into question, and a seditious meaning [was] applied even to our very smiles; so that, in the midst of our other ALARMS, with which the nation was harassed at that period, I am informed that certain lovers of wit and pleasantry were in horrible apprehension lest it should be made CAPITAL to laugh without permission of his MAJESTY’S MINISTERS!!
Thelwall’s theatrical background provided him with an intrinsic awareness of the difficulty of holding an audience’s attention, and an attendant grasp of the importance of entertainment. He had from the earliest part of his career directed his literary efforts towards the stage: Incle and Yarico, a farce written in 1787, and The Incas, an opera of 1792, had both been submitted to London theatre houses.[4]

Summary

Introduction

In the first of his Political Lectures the radical orator John Thelwall, who had become a household name in the 1790s for his outspoken condemnations of Pitt’s Tory government, reveals an underlying consciousness of the new political significance of laughter.

Results

Conclusion